Kazuchika Okada
Kazuchika Okada 
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|---|---|
 Okada as IWGP Heavyweight Champion (2016) |
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| Data | |
| Ring name |
Kazuchika Okada Okata |
| Additions to names | The Rainmaker |
| height | 191 cm |
| Fighting weight | 107 kg |
| birth |
November 8, 1987 (age 32) Anjō , Aichi , Japan |
| Announced from | Tokyo , Japan |
| Trained by |
Último Dragon Yuji Nagata |
| debut | 2004 |
Kazuchika Okada (岡田 和睦, Okada Kazuchika, ring name: オ カ ダ ・ カ ズ チ カ, born November 8, 1987 in Anjō , Aichi , Japan ) is a Japanese wrestler. He is currently under contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling . His greatest achievement is receiving the IWGP Heavyweight Championship five times , the highest award for individual wrestlers in New Japan. He also holds the record for the longest reign and the most title defenses. Because of his achievements, he is considered one of the best wrestlers in New Japan and worldwide.
Private life
Okada was in Anjo in Aichi Prefecture born but spent most of his youth on the Gotō Islands , his mother's homeland. There he went to school, where he played baseball with moderate success . However, he was more successful in athletics , where he also won the regional championship in the 100 m sprint.
Okada is the founder of Rainmaker Kikin , a nonprofit foundation dedicated to fighting cancer in children. This came after his uncle and cousin were diagnosed with the disease in August 2014. Since then, Okada has donated ¥ 30,000 (approx. € 260) of every win to the foundation.
From 2013 to 2017 Okada was in a relationship with the television presenter Yoko Mori. In April 2019 he married the singer, actress and voice actress Suzuko Mimori.
Wrestling career
Earlier years
Okada began his wrestling training in 2004 at Toryumon, a Japanese-Mexican league led by the legendary Último Dragón . That same year, on August 29, he made his debut in a match against Negro Navarro.
In 2005 Okada won the Toryumon Young Dragons Cup and stepped increasingly in the North American Indy leagues, including Chikara Pro Wrestling . Even if he did not manage to win notable titles, he completed his training with a diploma at Toryumon on July 22, 2007 after wrestling at Último Dragón's 20th anniversary show alongside Jushin Thunder Liger and Milano Collection AT. He then announced to switch to New Japan Pro Wrestling.
First time at New Japan (2007 - 2010)
Okada trained in the following month at the New Japan Dojo, where he lost on August 26, 2007 in a pre-debut match against Tetsuya Naito. Okada was injured and was out for nearly eight months.
After his recovery he made his official debut for New Japan on April 12, 2008 in a match against Taichi Ishikari and was used against all odds in the Heavyweight Division. He was part of the New Japan vs. Pro wrestling NOAH storyline and competed against Takashi Sugiura and Go Shiozaki, among others. Okada also competed against New Japan Main Eventers such as Shinsuke Nakamura and Hirooki Goto. Despite losing all of his major matches, he quickly became a crowd-pleaser.
In January 2010 it was announced that Okada would be sent there as part of the cooperation with the US wrestling league Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (now Impact Wrestling ) in order to gain more experience. With a match against Hiroshi Tanahashi he was bid farewell to New Japan for the time being.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010-2011)
Okada first appeared for TNA on February 16, 2010, in a dark match against Alex Shelley at Tapings on the local TV show . His first match, which was broadcast on television, he had on TNA's second show Xplosion on April 6th, where he lost together with Homicide against Generation Me . In the following months, Okada continued to compete at Xplosion, albeit with moderate success. He celebrated his first victory at the Xplosion Tapings on October 9th, where he defeated Kid Kash in a dark match. On the main show Impact, he has only appeared once since, as one of the wrestlers supposed to stop the former ECW wrestlers, in a promo for the upcoming tribute PPV Hardcore Justice. Meanwhile, Okada formed a tag team with compatriot Kiyoshi at Xplosion, who also failed to succeed.
It wasn't until a gimmick switch to Okata , a cameraman who supported Samoa Joe in his feud against D'Angelo Dinero , that the turning point in Okada's run at TNA brought the necessary attention from the audience, who loved the gimmick from the beginning. On January 20, 2011 he made his debut with this gimmick, which is based on the character Kato from the film The Green Hornet from the same year. He helped Samoa Joe to win over Dinero at the PPV Against All Odds and was then able to defeat him by disqualification at the Impact Tapings on March 24th.
However, this was Okada's only appearance at Impact and a PPV. He lost another match against Alex Shelley at Xplosion on June 21, 2011 and was removed from the roster on October 13, 2011 on the TNA homepage. New Japan then ended the cooperation with TNA, as they were very dissatisfied with Okada's treatment. For Okada himself, however, it was an educational experience, as he had realized that it is essential to create a character even in a combat-oriented league like New Japan. He then began working on such a character before returning to New Japan, which eventually became the character that would later make him one of the greatest wrestlers in the world.
Return to New Japan, the Rainmaker's debut and first major successes (2012-2014)
Although Okada made sporadic appearances with New Japan while he was with TNA, his return in late 2011 marks the beginning of the success with New Japan. He returned to New Japan on January 4, 2012 with a match against YOSHI-HASHI. He then joined the largest stable at New Japan, CHAOS, and got Gedo as a manager. He also challenged IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and debuted his Rainmaker gimmick, in which he portrayed a snob who can rain money. Okada described his gimmick as the best that he could combine from the three different styles: the technique and athleticism from Mexico, the fighting spirit from Japan and the entertainment value from the USA.
On February 12, 2012, at The New Beginning in Osaka , Okada was allowed to defeat Tanahashi to become IWGP Heavyweight Champion for the first time. After defending his title over Tetsuya Naito and New Japan Cup winner Hirooki Goto, he had to surrender the Dominion title back to Tanahashi on June 16.
Okada then took part in the G1 Climax for the first time and although he lost to his leader Shinsuke Nakamura, he was allowed to win five of the eight matches in the block phase, including his block, which qualified him for the final against Karl Anderson . He was then allowed to win, which set Masahiro Chono's previous record as the youngest winner (Chono was 27 years old when he won the G1 Climax for the first time in 1991, Okada 24). Okada then stated that he would redeem his title match, which he received with the tournament victory, at Wrestle Kingdom 7 on January 4, 2013 in Tokyo . He signed the contract with the requirement that he would have to defend this contract like a title belt until then, which he did with victories over Karl Anderson and Hirooki Goto. Together with YOSHI-HASHI, Okada represented CHAOS in the following World Tag League, which was eliminated early with three wins and four losses. The title match at Wrestle Kingdom 7 was also unsuccessful for Okada.
Okada then led CHAOS in a feud against the rival stable Suzuki-gun, in which he lost to their leader Minoru Suzuki in the decisive match. Okada then competed at the New Japan Cup in March and was allowed to win it in order to get another title match against Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In Invasion Attack 2013 on April 7th, Okada won the match and was awarded the title for the second time. His renewed participation in the G1 Climax was less successful, where he was eliminated in the block phase after three wins, four losses and a time limit draw.
On October 14th, Okada defended his title against Tanahashi in King of Pro-Wrestling. With this victory and his fifth defense of his title, New Japan awarded him the title of Ace , the best wrestler on the roster. Wrestle Kingdom 8 had to defend its title again, this time against the winner of the G1 Climax, Tetsuya Naito. A special feature here was a special fan vote, which match will be held in the main event of the traditional New Year's show. In addition to Okada, the choice was va. Naito also the match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship , which then received the most votes, probably because of Tanahashi's unbroken popularity with the audience and their antipathy towards Tetsuya Naito. Okada was allowed to win the match and defend the title for the seventh time.
Okada as Ace and the feud with AJ Styles (2014-2016)
Okada then defended the title an eighth time against Hirooki Goto on February 11, 2014 at The new Beginning in Osaka . At Invasion Attack 2014 , the debut AJ Styles , who attacked Okada from behind and revealed himself as the newest member of the Bullet Club, was a new challenger claiming Okada's title. The match took place less than a month later at Wrestling Dontaku 2014 . Styles won this match with the help of Yujiro Takahashi, who did gymnastics from CHAOS to the Bullet Club and attacked Okada, and ended Okada's reign, which lasted over a year.
Okada then tried to regain the title, but was unsuccessful during the first US tour of New Japan and when returning to Japan. He then went back to the G1 Climax, where he won his block with eight wins (including against Styles) and the final against Shinsuke Nakamura on the final day. In the course of Wrestle Kingdom 9, Okada and YOSHI-HASHI failed to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship from Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows from the Bullet Club. AJ Styles also lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Hiroshi Tanahashi, who became Okada's opponent at Wrestle Kingdom after successfully defending against Karl Anderson and Tetsuya Naito. However, Okada lost again, which resulted in a storyline, according to which Okada was broken physically and mentally by the defeat and continued in a feud with Bad Luck Fale. Okada suffered several defeats against Fale, including at the New Japan Cup 2015 in the first round. With a win at Invasion Attack 2015, Okada pulled himself together and again made claims to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which was now held by AJ Styles again.
The title match between Styles and Okada took place on July 5th at Dominion 7.5 and Okada won the match for his third title win. Okada then took part in the G1 Climax again, but only narrowly failed in the block phase to Shinsuke Nakamura. The day after the G1 Climax, Okada was chosen as an opponent for Genichiro Tenryu's farewell match, which ended victorious for the Rainmaker in the Revolution Final on November 15th . The match itself was later voted Match of the Year by all wrestling journalists.
Wrestle Kingdom 10 was about to defend its title, against Okada's long-term rival and G1 Climax winner Hiroshi Tanahashi. But this time Okada was able to overcome his trauma and finally defeat Tanahashi in a 36 minute long match, which was to date the longest match in the history of New Year's shows in New Japan and thus cemented his status as Ace.
Okada held the title for three months and lost it on April 10, 2016 at Invasion Attack 2016 to this year's New Japan Cup winner Tetsuya Naito, who won the title with the help of his colleagues from his stable Los Ingobernables de Japon , BUSHI, EVIL and SANADA . But Naito's joy did not last long when Okada, after defeating SANADA at Wrestling Dontaku 2016 , was to get his rematch at Dominion 6.19 on June 19, which he also won for his fourth title.
The longest reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion and the feud with Kenny Omega (2016 - 2018)
Okada then took part in the G1 Climax again, but was eliminated in the block phase after a time limit draw against Hiroshi Tanahashi. Okada then continued to defend his title until Wrestle Kingdom 11, where he first met a man with whom he would later fight the best fights of his career, Kenny Omega of the Bullet Club, who had his contract from winning the G1 Climax to the New Year's show could defend. Okada won the match after more than 46 minutes, which even exceeded the previous year's record for the longest match. The match itself was highly praised, Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer awarded six stars, although his previous ratings only went up to five.
Meanwhile, Okada's reign continued and he defended his title in the course of 2017 until the G1 Climax against well-known opponents such as Minoru Suzuki, Katsuyori Shibata, Bad Luck Fale, Cody and Kenny Omega. However, the latter caused Okada's premature elimination from the G1 Climax.
On October 22, 2017, Kazuchika Okada broke the previous record of Shinya Hashimoto, who previously held the longest reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion with 489 days. On January 3, 2018, one day before Wrestle Kingdom 12, Okada was able to break the next record, this time for the longest overall time as IWGP Heavyweight Champion, which was previously held by Hiroshi Tanahashi with 1,358 days. The reign also continued after Wrestle Kingdom 12, when he was allowed to defeat G1 Climax winner Tetsuya Naito. He was then allowed to defend the title against SANADA and the New Japan Cup winner Zack Saber Jr., which he again equaled a record of Tanahashi, namely with eleven title defenses in a single reign. This led to a match between Okada and Tanahashi on the second day of Wrestle Dontaku 2018 on May 4th in Fukuoka , which Okada won and thus holds the sole record of twelve title defenses in one reign.
Okada then challenged Kenny Omega again, with whom he has a statistic with one win, one draw and one loss. The match then took place at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka , as a 2 out 3 falls match with no time limit to choose a winner. Okada was able to get the first pinfall after just under 29 minutes, but Omega equalized after 36 minutes and was able to achieve the victorious pinfall after almost 65 minutes, which ended the longest reign of an IWGP Heavyweight Champion after 720 days. The match itself was highly praised by fans, journalists and other wrestlers, Dave Meltzer even awarded this match seven stars, making the match the highest rated match in the history of the Wrestling Observer to this day.
The betrayal of Gedo, the feud with Jay White and the Double Title Match (2018-2020)
After the loss to Kenny Omega, Okada's attitude changed, which he underlined by coloring his hair from blonde to red. He participated again in the G1 Climax and was eliminated with six wins, two losses and a time limit draw against Tanahashi in the block phase. As a result, Okada ended his longstanding collaboration with Gedo. Tanahashi, the winner of the G1 Climax 2018, granted Okada a match for the contract for the title match for Wrestle Kingdom 13 for Destruction in Kobe on September 23, which Tanahashi won. After the match, he was attacked by Jay White. It looked like White was avenging his stable partner Okada for the defeat, but instead attacked him too. Gedo came into the ring and gave Okada a chairshot from behind. Jay White then became his new protégé.
When Tanahashi then defeated Jay White at King of Pro-Wrestling , he was subsequently attacked by White until Okada made the save. This was supposed to be a trap, however, because when the Bullet Club intervened, White, Gedo, and the Bullet Club members attacked Okada, which sealed White and Gedo's entry into the Bullet Club.
At Wrestle Kingdom 13 there was then a match between Okada and White, which Okada was allowed to win. He took part in the New Japan Cup two months later and was also able to win this when he defeated SANADA in the final. This granted him a title match at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which was now held by Jay White. The match took place on April 6, 2019 in Madison Square Garden in New York City, USA, on the cooperation show G1 Supercard with Ring of Honor , and here Okada won the title for the fifth time.
Okada defended the title against SANADA, Chris Jericho and Minoru Suzuki during the year . At the G1 Climax, he narrowly missed the final again when he lost in the block phase to the eventual winner Kota Ibushi, who was ahead in a direct comparison with a tie. In the period that followed until Wrestle Kingdom 14, Okada was able to keep his title. The traditional New Year's show will be redesigned in 2020, however, so Wrestle Kingdom 14 took place for the first time on two days, January 4th and 5th, 2020. In the course of the storyline, the two highest individual wrestler titles should be at stake here, according to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Champion are defended on both days, so that a double champion is to be crowned on the second day. Okada must defend his title against Kota Ibushi on day one, while IWGP Intercontinental Champion Jay White defends his title against Tetsuya Naito. Okada was allowed to win his match, while Naito White was allowed to defeat the Intercontinental Championship. On the second day Okada met Naito and lost to him, which is why he had to give up the title again.
Original plans after Wrestle Kingdom and the shutdown (2020 - now)
Okada led a minor feud with Taichi after losing his title and was scheduled for the first round of the New Japan Cup against Jay White. But the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic also hit New Japan. For the safety of the wrestlers, officials and employees, the management temporarily froze operations and canceled all shows.
Trivia
- Along with Hiroshi Tanahashi , Kenny Omega and Tetsuya Naito, Kazuchika Okada is the cover star of the PlayStation 4 game Fire Pro Wrestling: World. He is also a non-playable character in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. His gimmick and outfit were part of a super move for the character King in Tekken 7 as part of New Japan's partnership with Bandai Games .
Titles and awards
Title and tournament victories
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New Japan Pro Wrestling
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (5 ×)
- G1 Climax (2 ×, 2012 & 2014)
- New Japan Cup (2 ×, 2013 & 2019)
- Toryumon Mexico
- Young Dragons Cup (1 ×, 2005)
Awards
- CBS Sports
- Match of the Year 2018 (vs. Kenny Omega at NJPW Dominion 6.9)
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New Japan Pro Wrestling
- Best Bout 2017 (vs. Kenny Omega at NJPW Dominion 6.11)
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Nikkan Sports
- MVP Award (4 ×, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017)
- Outstanding Performance Award (1 ×, 2012)
- Match of the Year 2012 (vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi at NJPW The New Beginning 2012)
- Match of the Year 2014 (vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at NJPW G1 Climax 24 Finals)
- Match of the Year 2017 (vs. Kenny Omega at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11)
- Match of the Year 2018 (vs. Kenny Omega at NJPW Dominion 6.9)
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Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- 1st place in the PWI 500 (1 ×, 2017)
- Match of the Year 2017 (vs. Kenny Omega at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11)
- Match of the Year 2018 (vs. Kenny Omega at NJPW Dominion 6.9)
- Feud of the Year 2017 (vs. Kenny Omega )
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Tokyo Sports
- MVP Award (4 ×, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019)
- Best Bout Award 2012 (vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi at NJPW Dominion 6.16)
- Best Bout Award 2014 (vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at NJPW G1 Climax 24 Finals)
- Best Bout Award 2015 (vs. Genichiro Tenryu at Tenryu Project Genichiro Tenryu Retirement ~ Revolution FINAL)
- Best Bout Award 2016 (vs. Naomichi Marufuji at NJPW G1 Climax 26 - day 1
- Best Bout Award 2017 (vs. Kenny Omega at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11)
- Best Bout Award 2018 (vs. Kenny Omega at NJPW Dominion 6.9)
- Best Bout Award 2019 (vs. SANADA at NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling 2019)
- Wrestling Observer
- Best Wrestling Maneuver (2 ×, 2012 and 2013 with the Rainmaker)
- Feud of the Year 2012 & 2013 (vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi )
- Feud of the Year 2017 (vs. Kenny Omega )
- Most Improved (1 ×, 2012)
- Most outstanding wrestler (1 ×, 2017)
- Pro Wrestling Match of the Year 2013 (vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi at NJPW Invasion Attack 2013)
- Pro Wrestling Match of the Year 2016 (vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10)
- Pro Wrestling Match of the Year 2017 (vs. Kenny Omega at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11)
- Pro Wrestling Match of the Year 2018 (vs. Kenny Omega at NJPW Dominion 6.9)
- Wrestler of the Year (1 ×, 2017)
- Japan MVP (1 ×, 2017)
- Most outstanding Wrestler of the Decade (1 ×, 2010s)
- Best Matches of the Decade (1 ×, 2010s)
Web links
- Kazuchika Okada's profile at cagematch.de
- Kazuchika Okada's profile at njpw1972.com
- Kazuchika Okada's profile at genickbruch.com
Individual evidence
- ^ Gossip Gist: Kazuchika Okada Biography
- ↑ The Strait Times: NJPW's 'Rainmaker' hopes to bring japanese Pro Wrestling to new heights
- ↑ Cruchyroll: Voice Actress Suzuko Mimori Marries Pro-Wrestler Kazuchika Okada
- ↑ The Strait Times: NJPW's 'Rainmaker' hopes to bring japanese Pro Wrestling to new heights
- ↑ Power-Wrestling.de: Corona fear: New Japan temporarily stops operations
- ↑ Shoryuken.com: New Japan Pro Wrestling comes to Tekken 7 with Special Kazuchika Okada Outfit for King
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Okada, Kazuchika |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese wrestler |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 8, 1987 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Anjō, Aichi , Japan |